Children’s Exposure to Domestic Violence in Canada

The Canadian Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect (CIS-2003) is the second nation-wide study to examine the incidence of reported child maltreatment and the characteristics of the children and families investigated by Canadian child welfare services. The CIS-2003 tracked a sample of 14,200 child maltreatment investigations which were a basis for deriving national estimates. Information was collected directly from the investigating child welfare workers using a standard set of definitions. This information sheet describes cases of exposure to domestic violence that were tracked by the CIS-2003 in Canada, excluding Quebec.